The Political Dimension of the Narrative Policy Framework

We aim to strengthen the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) by introducing a theoretical and empirical distinction between the policy dimension (content) and the political dimension (process). The basic assumption of the NPF states that narratives are the primary tool for individuals to cognitively organize, assess, and communicate information. According to the NPF, narratives consist of specific structural elements that can be examined and compared systematically and empirically. Historically, the NPF originates in the content of policy (hence policy narratives), but it also focuses on the process, since in its origins it has a connection to the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). Extant NPF research pays little attention to the political dimension, especially neglecting the separate analysis of narratives from and about political parties. What is more, in political processes, the temporal dimension plays an important role. We argue that the electoral calendar influences the dynamics of narratives around a certain policy. Failing to consider the political dimension in an NPF analysis prevents insights into the relationship of content-driven and power-driven strategies. We substantiate our claim empirically by implementing a most different systems design on four cases.